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Boulder County Business Hall of fame inducts 2016 class

By Shay Castle

Staff Writer

Posted:
04/27/2016 05:44:12 PM MDT

Updated:
04/28/2016 06:18:25 AM MDT

Dennis Paul gives honoree William Glenn Arnold Jr. a kiss on the head during the 24th annual induction luncheon for the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame Wednesday at the Plaza Convention Center. (Lewis Guyer/Times-Call)

Boulder County Business Hall of Fame Class of 2016

The Arnold family, represented by William Glen Arnold, Jr., whose father, William Glen Arnold, founded Arnold Ford in Boulder in 1923. William Jr. and his siblings purchased the company and ran it as Arnold Bros. Motor Company for 55 years.

Tom Kalinski, broker and owner of Re/Max of Boulder. The office, established in 1977, has been the highest-producing single office in Boulder County for more than three decades, and eight times has been the highest-producing Re/Max office in the nation.

Dr. Joel Montbriand, CEO of Gastroenterology of the Rockies. In practice since, 1988, Montbriand grew his Boulder business to include five additional locations; Longmont, Lafayette, Broomfield, Denver and Lakewood.

Richard Polk, president of Boulder's Pedestrian Shops at 1425 Pearl St. and 2525 Arapahoe Ave. Polk, a former Boulder city councilman, co-founded the business in 1970. He also has served as chair of Dairy Center for the Arts board of directors.

Christine and Steve Ralston, owners of Ralston Bros. Antiques at 426 High St. in Lyons. Steve, now deceased, opened shop in 1974 and began acquiring and repairing furniture, old radios, record players, jukeboxes and more.

Leonard Strear, former president of Longmont Foods, which was acquired by Con Agra in 1987. In the 1950s, Longmont Foods purchased an ice plant and cold storage facility and turned it into a turkey processing plant that was later bought by Butterball.

Don and Lee Weakland, owners of the Flower Bin at 805 Nelson Rd. in Longmont, which opened in 1971. The Weaklands have been married for 58 years, and Don served on both the Longmont Chamber of Commerce and the St. Vrain Valley School board.

Business is personal.

That was one of the opening lines Wednesday at the Boulder County Business Hall of fame induction ceremony, and the theme permeating speeches from the 2016 class members.

Seven honorees were given entry into the hall of fame, which has welcomed 160 members since its 1993 inception.

More than one inductee got emotional during their speeches, mentioning faith and family and what it takes to run a business.

'Work is love made visible," said Christine Ralston, who was honored along with her late husband, Steve, for their long-time ownership of Ralston Bros. Antiques in Lyons. "My idea of the key to success is love: love what you do, love each other and love yourself."

Tom Kalinski, owner and broker at Re/Max of Boulder, talked about the joy of working with his sons at the real estate firm he started in 1977.

"Working with my sons... it's made my life so much fuller," Kalinski said. "I know I've added to their lives, but what they've added to my life ..." he trailed off, his voice choked with emotion.

Five scholarships were presented to students at the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business: Amanda Becker, Audrianna Bobo, Michael Hansen, Aidan Lang and Tyne Curran — all graduates of Boulder County high schools.

The hall of fame has awarded 37 scholarships to CU business students since 2009, to ensure that future business owners have as deep a connection to the local community as those that have gone before them.

In addition to the scholarships, the students got a nugget of wisdom from inductee William Glen Arnold, Jr., whose father founded Boulder's Arnold Ford in 1923. Arnold and his siblings ran the business as Arnold. Bros. Motor Company for 55 years.

After reminiscing about a childhood in a Boulder with one stoplight, Arnold had this advice for budding business owners: Don't let your ego get in the way.

"The way you get there is by doing all the work," he said. "I give God credit for everything.'

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